Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Semi-good article here, but I think they may be wrong when they say she represents all fat people. They are ignoring all the other groups working on discrimination against fat people. Way to do your research, Fox News.

She is the voice of America's plus-sized population, a movement quickly gaining momentum in America today. POWER PLUS WOMAN, Lisa Marie Garbo, plus-sized role model and advocate speaks out on behalf of a suppressed subculture of men and women who have been without a voice, but who intend to be heard. The message is out universally about size acceptance, anti-size discrimination and equal rights for plus-sized people.

Excuse me, but no one asked me if she was speaking for me. This makes it sound like size acceptance is a monolithic movement where everyone agrees on what needs to be done and how to do it, which isn't true at all, from everything I've seen in the fatosphere so far. Is Lisa Marie Garbo involved in anything besides her Club Bounce and opening more of them in more cities? This article doesn't say, and that's what I'm more interested in knowing. I also take exception with the following:

Power Plus Woman, Lisa Marie is dedicated to spreading the word that size-discrimination in our society leaves a lasting, negative effect on everyone. Just as the gay population was at one time discriminated against, overweight people continue to be disregarded and victimized daily. Garbo says, "With all the changes within our political and social culture, the timing for size-acceptance could not be more perfect than right now."

The gay population was at one time discriminated against? What world are they living in that they don't see the discrimination that is still continuing against the GLBTQ community? And comparing discrimination against one group with discrimination against another group doesn't account for the discrimination faced by people who belong to 2 or more discriminated-against groups (too many intersections to mention here, but y'all know what I mean, I hope).And with all the changes in our political and social culture - give me a break. Those changes aren't going to help fat people, they're going to try and get rid of us. National healthcare (if they manage to ram that through) will end up being rationed and who is going to come out on the short end of that stick? The fat, the elderly, anyone who is seen as having a "lifestyle" that "causes" their condition. Insurance companies penalizing people who have those "lifestyles" mentioned above, or who can't meet the diagnostic standards for "health", which standards keep getting lowered all the time (the lower the standards, the more people can be diagnosed as "ill" or "diseased" and the more pills to be prescribed).So she thinks these clubs of hers, where fat people can go to dance and socialize without the bullshit thrown at them in other venues are going to help? Yes, it's nice to have a place like that, but that is not going to change access in any public area where access is not available for fat people. Airlines aren't going to install better seating that fits a wider array of bodies, restaurants aren't going to install bigger booths, and employers aren't going to tell you they didn't hire you because you're fat, they're either not going to tell you anything at all or give some other excuse for not hiring you (which is exactly what most of them are doing right now when it comes to other groups of people who are discriminated against).Do I think her clubs are a good idea? Yes, because it is nice to have a place to go where you don't have to worry about people making nasty comments/jokes about your size or refusing to let you in because of your size. It's nice to be able to socialize with people with whom you have things in common, but size isn't the only thing I want have in common with those with whom I socialize. I agree that passing laws against size discrimination is something that needs to be done, but just because those laws end up on the books doesn't mean it's going to change much in society, at least not for a long time. How long have the laws about discrimination against those who have disabilities been on the books? Gains have been made, but people who have disabilities still face discrimination every day, overt and covert.

Federal and state laws declare that all persons within the United States are free from discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and yet with the exception of Michigan, there is not a law that pertains to size discrimination. It is Garbo's objective to see that all overweight people be shown the exact same rights as their size-acceptable counterparts.

And those laws aren't doing much to stop discrimination against POC, women, anyone who isn't "Christian", etc. Laws help, but they don't change peoples' minds, they don't end bigotry, they just drive it underground.

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Aren't I just the Little Miss Postypants today. I went to WallyWorld to do some grocery shopping and while I was there, I checked out the clearance racks in the Women's clothing section. I found a cute top for $3 (gotta love it), it's a red/black/cream swirly print on dark pink with a square neck and smocking in the front, and has raglan sleeves (no shoulder seams, YAY!!). They have some polyester/rayon/spandex slacks for $13 (regular price, not clearance) that actually have the same kind of front pockets as blue jeans, not those nasty side-seam-that-you-can't-put-anything-in-because-it-falls-out-when-you-sit-down-pockets (and they're a medium-weight fabric, with a silky smooth feel to them). They're made by White Stag, and so far, WallyWorld has them in khaki, brown, black, gray, navy blue, pinstripe black, and pinstripe charcoal. I like all of those except the khaki (it's too light in color and shows the dirt too easily for me), but I wish they also had them in royal blue, purple, burgundy, and hunter green (I have tops that would go with all of those colors that they don't have). They have some other cute tops there by White Stag, but the cut of them isn't something that would fit me in the sizes they carry (up to a 4X, which is a 26/28), those tops are all between $12 and $14. They also had some Faded Glory tops (tee-shirt type) that go up to a 5X (30/32), but I don't buy them because they hit right at the top of my hips, and I prefer them a bit longer (mid-hip or longer). Those were between $9 and $12, IIRC, and they had some pretty cute graphics on them.Most of the other tops that were on the clearance racks had the empire waist styling, and those just aren't made to fit me (if your boobs are a D cup or smaller, they might fit). I don't think I would have bought any of them even they would have fit, since most of them had that damned puffy sleeve with the elastic (or a narrow sewn band) at the bottom of the short sleeve. I prefer my sleeves less constricting, thank you very much :)So if you're looking for the kind of pants that I like (and they come in sizes from 16 to 30/32) at a good price, you now know where to find them. And check out the clearance racks, tops for $3 to $7, well, that's just too good a deal to pass up if you can find something you like. Oh yeah, they had some Just My Size tops on clearance too (most of them are too short for my taste, but they might please some of you).

I think I may have just come up with an idea to make a swimsuit that will actually fit my rack of doom and give it the support it needs. Y'all know I bought that Making Beautiful Bras book. It hit me after I took apart one of my really old bras that I could remake that out of swimsuit lycra/spandex, line the cups so they don't stretch, extend the back so I don't have to put the hook/eye closure there, make the bra straps out of the lycra/spandex, and attach a skirt of lycra/spandex where the bra band would be, and voila - a swimsuit that fits my bust and supports it. Not only that, with the multitudinous choice of colors/prints, I can actually have the suit I want in the color/print I want (not to mention that no one will have a suit exactly like it). Now I'm wondering, if it works for the swimsuit, and gives me the support and comfort I want, can I make bras that way? I'd have to add the hook/eye closure, and wide elastic around the bottom of the band, but the added options that would give me for colors is mind-boggling. I may just have to invest in the fabric and some really good thread and try this one out, since I'm having a difficult time finding bra fabric in the real world and I don't much like shopping for fabric online (I can't see it, feel it, and the colors aren't true to life when viewed on my monitor). The elastic can be bought online, no one is going to see it (it gets sewn on, turned to the wrong side and stitched down).Don't get me wrong, I like the swimsuit I bought, but there isn't a swimsuit out there made to support a cup over a DD (at least, not that I've been able to find), and I've been wearing bras for so long that I'm uncomfortable without that support (not to mention, the older I get, the saggier/baggier the boobs get, and I just don't like them bouncing around when I walk....). So I'm going to try this and see how it works. I'm going shopping on Monday for fabric (DH will want to go along and give his input on colors....lol....and he doesn't have to work Monday or Tuesday).

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Subway spokesman and occasional thin guy Jared Fogle may soon be out of work thanks to a new FTC rule banning commercial testimonials that warn "results not typical" or "individual results may vary." Under the new rule, marketers using, say, body builders to advertise weight loss pills are also going to have to show an average lardass whose results might be more typical. You can guess how advertisers are reacting to the change...

I've been saying for a long time now that if assvertisers had to show the actual people who buy these products before they bought them, while they were using them, and the actual results of using them, those results would be so dismal that people would know it's not an actuality that's being sold to them, it's a fucking pipe dream that isn't about to come true (not permanently anyway, and probably not safely either). And WTF is up with saying assvertisers need to show "an average lardass"? Talk about stereotyping the people who are spending their hard-earned dollars on this bullshit. Not only do we get no respect just because we're fat, now we get no respect because we're buying into the assvertisers' claims in order to get thin enough to get the respect we can't get any other way (maybe whacking these morons up side the head with a clue by four might work?).

The revisions have drawn sharp criticism from product manufacturers, advertising agencies and trade groups who say it is the "aspirational" theme of their ads that motivates consumers to purchase their goods. Show less than the ultimate achievement, they say, and consumers are less likely to buy.

No shit, Sherlock. You aren't selling something that actually works, you're selling a dream that people want to work, and are willing to fork over the bucks in hopes that they'll be one of the few in that "results not typical" that loses the weight and keeps it off forever (yeah, which is why those assvertisers always have new spokespeople for every new commercial, because the people who said they used the product successfully didn't stay successful forever).I don't advise reading the comments after this article, too many of the commenters have drunk the OMGOBESITYEPI-PANIC kool-aid and have bought the hype shouted by those assvertisers and big pharma and the medical community who have their eyes on their bottom line and are ignoring the health of the people to whom they pitch their snake oil in favor of lining their pockets with billions of our dollars.WeightWatchers, Nutrasystem, Jenny Craig, WLS, Bowflex, and any other company selling gym equipment, diets, or surgery as a guaranteed way to get and stay thin/healthy may just go out of business if these rules are adopted and they have to obey "truth in advertising". Or maybe I'm being too optimistic about the sense that people who buy this shit really have. Are they so invested in getting thin (at any cost) that each and every one of them will think that they are in that 5% of people who successfully lose weight and can keep it off more than 5 years, despite all the evidence to the contrary?I would love to see a commercial for Bowflex that has a person like me using it the way those tanned, ripped, toned hotties in their current commercials supposedly do. I would bet my life that someone like me would never get even close to looking like one of them just by using a Bowflex for 15 to 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week (well, maybe in 20 or 30 years, but certainly not in 6 weeks, let alone 6 months).I want to see all those past spokespeople for all those diets and what they look like now (because what do you want to bet that NONE of them are still following any of those diets, and NONE of them have managed to maintain that so-called *cough*photo-shopped*cough* weight loss?).

Monday, March 23, 2009

DH had the weekend off and we spent it visiting with my son and his wife. My grandson found out we were going to be there so he asked his mother if he could spend another weekend with his dad so he could spend time with us (she had a bowling tournament and said yes). We hadn't seen Mykel since right after Christmas, and damn, has he gotten tall. He's going to be 13 in June, and he's already 5' 10". He's going to be tall like his dad, I think.We went to Mankato so Jon could pick up a pair of shoes and I could check out the fabric stores for the patterns by Coni that I wanted and look for fabric and notions to make bras. Jon found his shoes, but I didn't find the patterns I wanted (I'll have to order them online) and no fabric/notions for bra-making (order online again). But, I did stop in at the Catherine's store where I used to shop all the time when I lived in the area (before I got married and moved 3 hours away). I checked out their clearance rack (they always had neat tops on the clearance racks) and found two really cute tops. One was normally $50, the other was regularly $48, and I paid $9.99 apiece for them (I do love a bargain like that, and I couldn't have made them myself that inexpensively).When we got back to Jon's house, Tina stayed home since she wasn't feeling well and Jon took off to ride his crotch rocket (was a nice day, in the 60's, and he wanted to ride it before the rain hit this week). So we took Mykel back to the motel with us to go swimming. There were a bunch of kids there (some kind of team event was going on) and some of the kids were Mykel's age. He ended up hanging out with them (Mykel and 2 of the boys were competing to see who could make the biggest splash jumping into the pool). DH and I decided after 2 hours of competing with 20 kids for a place in the pool that it was time for us to quit. Mykel asked if he could stay and we said yeah, since it was going to be at least another hour before Jon came to pick him up. About a half an hour later, he came back and got changed, then the boys he'd been hanging with came to see if he could go back to their room with him. I told him it was ok, he had his cell phone with him and his dad could text him when he got to the motel. All in all, all 3 of us had fun at the pool, and it's amazing to see the change in Mykel. He's growing up for sure (2 years ago, he wouldn't have wanted to spend that much time with us, and he wouldn't have made friends and wanted to hang with kids he just met). He's turning into quite a remarkable young man, and I'm so proud of him (he's even getting into reading a lot now, he said he was interested in the book I brought down for Jon, I won it in a drawing on Good Reads, read it, wrote and posted my review, and now Jon and Mykel will get to read it, it's about the first half of Genghis Khan's life, fictionalized but based on Chinese manuscripts from that time).We left just before noon on Sunday, so when we got home, I checked email (between my 2 accounts, I had about 115 emails) and looked to see how many posts I had missed on the blogs I follow (148 posts between Thursday night and Sunday afternoon). Took me the rest of the afternoon and most of the evening just to get caught up on reading everything.Jon and Tina are coming up the first weekend in April to pick up a truck DH found for Jon to put in a demo derby ($50, and it runs, can't beat that). They'll get to see DH's new truck that we picked up tonight (well, it's not new new, but new to us). DH's 1989 F150 4WD is getting close to the 200,000 mile mark and is starting to need more repairs than the truck is worth (it's really rusting out, but still runs good), so we went truck shopping. We found a 2000 F150 4WD, extended cab, towing and off-road package, matching fiberglass topper, 89,000 miles, one-owner for less than $10,777. We had been saving money for an ATV for DH, but transportation to work is more important, so the $4500 was our down payment, and with that, financing the rest was easy. We'll make extra payments on the principal so that we don't have to pay so much interest, and it will get paid off sooner. It's a really nice truck, clean, no damage, not even any nicks or dings in the body (but poor DH, all of his last few cars/trucks have been either red, black, or red and black, and this truck is maroon with gold along the bottom of it. He just can't get away from the red....lol). I got to drive it home, and man, is it ever nice. Was windy as hell coming home and the wind didn't even budge this truck on the road (blew DH in the old one all over the road). Has a cd player in it, and the outside temperature digital readout above the windshield, 2 power outlets, a place for his sunglasses and a garage door remote near the temp readout. Hell, the buttons for the cruise control on the steering wheel even light up at night (my Windstar is newer by 1 year, and doesn't have that). The nicest thing about it, I think, is the 4WD is shift on the fly (you don't have to stop the truck and get out and lock the hubs, just slow down a bit, turn the 4WD knob to 4HI and you're set). You do have to stop and put the truck in neutral to shift into 4LO, but that's not a problem, and it won't shift into 4LO unless you're stopped and in neutral or park (nice safety feature, there). So I think he's going to be really happy with this truck, and I won't mind driving it if I have to (fat as I am, I fit behind the steering wheel with no problems at all). It does sit rather high off the ground (16" rims), but with running boards and oh-shit handles at the top of the door posts, I can haul myself into it with very little trouble (and it's easier to get into than the '89 F150, that one I need a step-stool, 15" rims with 31" tires, no oh-shit handles to help, and the running boards are too high off the ground for arthritic knees do not make for easy entry).Pictures of the new tops:The top above is black/white/grey/purple.The top above is hot pink/purple/black with black lace at the hem.The colors don't show up very well, I'll see if I can get better ones tomorrow, it's late and I'm tired, had a long day of running errands and test-driving the truck for DH before he decided he wanted it (he had to work).

ETA - If you click on the pics, you'll get a better view of the prints in the tops, but the colors are still off a bit (and the curtains on the door behind the tops are the ones I made).

Friday, March 13, 2009

I just received this book today, Making Beautiful Bras by Lee-Ann Burgess, and after reading the first half of it, it's no wonder women have such a difficult time finding bras that fit well. I bought the book because it tells how to take a bra that fits you well and draft a pattern from it. Not only that, it tells you the best way to put on your bra so that your breasts sit in the cups properly for the right amount of support, how to find the right cup size when searching for a bra, how to find the right band size, and more. Unfortunately, as all too many of us have found, bra manufacturers don't compare notes on sizing, so the size that fits you in one style of bra may not fit in another style of bra even if it's the same brand/manufacturer. The fitting problem is increased when you add in different brands/manufacturers, none of whom rely on a sizing standard (which is definitely not news to those of us who have shopped unsuccessfully for years, looking for a bra that lifts, separates, and supports without cutting us in half or giving us the deep indentations on our shoulders). And since breast sizes/shapes can vary so much from woman to woman, I don't know if it's even possible to have standardized sizing charts for bras.Since Goddess has quit carrying/making the only style of bra that I've found that even comes close to fitting my rack of doom, I'm going to take a shot at making my own bras. I have one that the cups are fine (they fit the way they're supposed to, according to what I've read in this book), the straps are fine, but the sides/back are totally stretched out of shape. That bra is going to be taken apart, and using the guidelines in this wonderful book, I'm going to attempt drafting a pattern and making a bra that finally does what it's supposed to do.I don't have a clue what the book is going to end up costing me, as I ordered it from Australia with my debit card and that charge hasn't hit the bank yet (cost of the book and air mail came to $71.45 in Australian currency, don't know what that comes out to in American dollars, probably somewhere around $45 - $50). To tell you the truth, I don't care if it costs the same in American currency as it does in Australian currency. If it gives me the ability to make a bra that really fits, is comfortable, and supports the rack of doom, it's well-worth every damned penny and will definitely pay for itself just in the money I save by making my bras myself instead of having to travel to some big city in search of someone who can custom-fit bras and have them made for me (I can't afford $150 for a bra, and I know the custom-made bras can be much more expensive than that).I will also have all kinds of options for colors/fabrics/prints/decorations/laces that I don't have now (my Goddess bras came in basic black, white, and nude, the leopard print was discontinued a couple of years ago in the style I really like).I'll be able to make camisole bras with fancy lace inserts for those tops I'd like to buy but show too much cleavage. My options are only limited by my imagination. I'm excited, and can hardly wait until my check gets here and I can go looking for fabrics and notions and laces and more.And on another sewing note, Butterick is carrying a line of patterns by Coni Crawford that go up to a 68" bust/72" hip. When I do my shopping for the bra-making supplies, I'll be looking for those patterns, as I've found several that I like. My biggest problem will be finding the fabrics I like in the colors/prints I like at a price I can afford. I'm looking forward to making slacks that actually fit the way they're supposed to (instead of having the waist in front hit me just under my bra band) and that I can add pockets to (have to have pockets for cell phone and car keys, I don't carry a purse very often).Here are the pics of the patterns by Coni that I'm looking at purchasing (if there was a picture of the pattern made up and on a live model, I included it after the pattern picture):My favorite thing about these patterns? The artist's conception drawing on the pattern may not be a fat woman, but the pictures on the website where I found the patterns are definitely fat women and that gives me a really good idea if these clothing items will look the way I want them to when I'm finished making them. Granted, not all of the patterns have fat models showing the finished item, but enough of them do, for now.If you want to see more of Coni's patterns, they can be found here.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Gene research? More like brain surgery. As was said here by Artemis, brain surgery. Brain surgery for "obesity". I can see having brain surgery for Parkinson's disease, or similar diseases that affect one's quality of life drastically, but not for weight loss.

The treatment is similar to Professor During's gene therapy to the brain for Parkinson's disease, given under local anaesthetic, which is being used in phase 2 human clinical trials.The genetic material is injected into the part of the brain called the hypothalamus, after boring two holes through the skull. It is carried in a harmless virus whose genetic material has been replaced by the therapy.

No, just no. Being fat may affect one's quality of life, but it's not the fat itself that is the biggest factor in that quality of life, it's the attitudes of the fat-phobic asshats who make fat peoples' lives miserable by calling them names, giving a lowered quality of medical care, making clothing less available in a wide range of sizes/styles/colors, assuming that one-size-fits-all means everyone fits within a certain range (which is usually smaller than even someone who is considered "normal" can fit in), and a whole slew of other discriminations too numerous to list.

The main active component is part of the human gene that causes the production of a substance called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This is a protein involved in weight regulation. It is coupled with genetic material that triggers auto-regulation of the BDNF to control the weight loss once the process is well under way.

Genetic material that triggers auto-regulation of weight loss? I'm not too sure I believe that's as possible as they seem to think it is. Do they really know how this is going to work in human beings? Since they've only been able to experiment with mice. I'm not a mouse, my physiology is different than that of a mouse, and I'm not so enamored of being thin that I'm willing to play guinea pig for them. Especially considering the following -

A third genetic component was developed for a subsequent neurosurgery injection, if needed, to knock out the introduced BDNF gene as a rescue device that halts the weight-loss process.

So if this auto-regulation doesn't stop the weight loss once a person gets to what is considered a "suitable" weight, they're going to drill more holes in someone's skull, and do more injections to stop the weight loss? How many times is a person supposed to expose themselves to the risk of stroke, stroke-like syndrome, depression, memory problems, psychiatric and/or behavioral problems, and possible infection (thank you, Artemis, this wasn't mentioned at the site where I read about this) in order to be thin? This seems to be another surgery like all the WLSurgeries that have led to so many horrible, life-threatening/ending complications for far too many people already.

In one of the trials, the body weight of obese mice reduced by 20 per cent in three weeks and stabilised for the remainder of the 11-week experiment.

One of the trials? What happened to the mice in the other trials? How many of them died from this operation? How many of them suffered from the risks listed above? What were the percentages of mice for whom this worked, compared to how many mice died or had adverse complications? How many mice got by with just one injection/brain surgery? Do we really want to apply those unknown percentages to human beings?I realize that the fat-phobes out there are willing to do anything to get rid of the fatties of the world, but as one of those fatties, I'm not willing to risk my life a second time just to be thin (once was enough, thank you very much). Those possible complications? Living with any one of those, not to mention a possible combination of them, and being thin, is NOT better than living fat. This seems to be another case of the cure being worse than the "disease" (especially since being fat isn't a disease, no matter how much the medical community wants us to think it is).ETA - Those people who are willing to go through this in the Stage Two clinical trials must be a lot more desperate than I am, and I really feel for them. I wish they didn't think something this drastic was necessary to have a quality life.

ETA - Check out Sandy's post at Junkfood Science on the DBS (deep brain stimulation) for weight loss in "obese" people. Electrocute your brains and lose weight, people (and line up for some horrible side effects that they don't want you to know about, because you might change your mind if you knew the real odds of getting one or more of them).Doctors/researchers pushing this kind of shit need to be tarred and feathered and ridden out of town on a rail.

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Somebody at New York Magazine should get a fucking clue. This article about the bailout of Citigroup has nearly every fat stereotype in the first paragraph.

You know those really, really fat people you hear about now and again? The kind of people who are so huge, they can't leave the house or even get off their couches, and unless someone does a major medical intervention, their parts cease to function and they die horribly, with their skin grafted into the terrible chintz material, and walls need to be knocked down to move the body out?

Yeah, I think there are probably more financial institutions who meet this criteria than there are fat people who exist in the above-mentioned state.

That's what Citigroup has been reminding us of lately. The bank is so gigantic, it can't even see its feet, and even though it has been aware it is dangerously obese, it has never really stopped eating Doritos because that's what it's used to because no one ever taught it about nutrition.

Fail, massive fucking fail, asshats. Not all of those massively fat people you seem to think exist get fat because they eat junk food and know nothing about nutrition. But all of the financial institutions in need of a bailout got that way because of their greed for more and more money and they didn't care how they got it.

As for the $350 billion the government gave to it — that was just like a relative of the fat person coming in to rotate its limbs: Yes, it prevented bed sores, but it didn't really resolve the fact that dude weighs 1200 pounds. But now, the government, like Richard Simmons, is stepping up, and putting Citi on a serious liquid diet.

Jeebus, I want to see the person whose limbs can be rotated. Arms moved to where their legs go, legs moved to where their arms should be? Or are they rotated like the tires on your car maybe? If you're going to use a metaphor, you should at least be accurate. And if I recall, Richard Simmons didn't have a liquid diet, it was one of those Deal-A-Meal plans, which was supposed to be a fairly well-balanced diet, coupled with his Sweatin' To The Oldies video work-outs (not that you would know anything about that, since you obviously don't know how to research anything, and are just pulling myths out of your ass to make a point).

As the inspirational theme song to the Biggest Loser says, "It's never too late to try."

If that's an inspirational tune, I don't even want to know what you would consider a musical abomination. The Biggest Loser isn't an inspirational show, it's televised torture that does more harm than good to the health of anyone desperate enough to sign up for it. Come to think of it, maybe Citibank needs to sign up for The Biggest Loser, put all of its executives on a monetary diet and exercise regimen. Diet = lower pay/perks, exercise = researching investments to ensure that they're safe and won't falsely inflate whatever market and then burst when that level can't be maintained (just like the exercise that contestants on BL can't maintain when they're off the show and have to go back to leading a real life that entails working a job, taking care of house/kids/spouse/etc).

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